Freaking Waffles of a place
That a student’s ability is measured
Through a mention of its name
By a mere whisky of its fame;

So what if we didn’t?
What is a student worth then?
More than a school name surely,
More than a great badge really;

By association we are no different:
We belong in the same league
Play by the same One Waffles street
Considered too the same Waffles breed;

What is the individual then?
What is the collective then?

I have no right to complain:
I graduated from there just the same;

But make no mistake:
We succeed by ourselves
Supported by a great place
To run ourselves our own race.

(Disclaimer: I love my school; I’ve always loved it. I did reasonably well and I had some of the best schooling years there. It’s a lovely place, and all other stereotypes are needless. I’m proud of the school, and someday the school shall be proud of me too. To transcend the school reputation and make good as an individual to live a life of kindness and purpose, that is what I believe to be the reason for the greatness of the school.)

The above line is commonly heard and said by people in regards to a person’s success or downfall, citing the fact that it is ultimately the strength and choice of the individual / self that is the main causal factor of the outcome. The statement is quite subjective and incident-based and it is not applicable to some people and cases, since nothing really is in reality. Of course, in success stories such as the late, great Steve Jobs or the whizz-of-our-time Bill Gates, it clearly was and has always been about the individual.. with a decent inclusion of luck plus opportunity and affinity, definitely.

If we pay close attention to how success happens for some people and not anyone else, we would realize that many a time success and permanent failure borders on the individual and the way his mind works. The individual has the choice to decide whether he is willing to fulfill his desire at all cost or not, and also the choice of whether he is willing to push the limit of the strength of his character or not. If the answer to both is a resounding YES, then success is an equally loud GIVEN as well.

A feeble character will not be able to sustain and survive the entire arduous route to success, just like how a fickle mind is not able to stay on track and not walk astray from the journey to the same location. As such, a strong and determined individual must control his mind and strive beyond the supposed strength and grid of his character to reach the pinnacle that is known as success.

Without doubt, obstacles such as distractions, momentary failures and emotional or physical weariness will stand in the way as we endeavor to scale the heights towards our final objective or goal. It has not and will never be an easy mission. Just ask those on their way, and those that have reached.. you might get answers that will either motivate you or put you off; but whatever the answer is, ‘easy’ will not be included or featured.

Have you what it takes to reach the peak in time to catch the sunrise?